Welcome

After the sudden death of our son, Mack, on New Year’s Eve 2012, two weeks shy of his ninth birthday, I began searching for wisdom. I began reading and seeking out other bereaved parents because I was suffocating in despair and desperate to find hope.

This photo was taken of me and Mack on December 19, 2012, celebrating an early Christmas dinner with my parents. We had no idea, no reason to think or fear, that our joyful, athletic, son Mack would die suddenly on December 31st.

We are a “grief illiterate” society meaning that the experience and language around grief and mourning is not readily known. We all need help and mentors to guide and teach us in this bewildering new terrain.

I found hope and guidance in peer to peer groups where I met other bereaved moms. And, I found wisdom in the writings and reflections from the army of bereaved of old and the new who live among us. I link and share these opportunities to connect and read on the Resources page.

There are no aspects of life that Mack’s death did not touch. In the section Essays I share my experiences of the endless absence and presence of Mack in our lives.

The poet Emily Dickinson wrote: Dying is a wild night and new road. Apparently she was reflecting on her own death, but her words resonate with me in the bewildering, painful, and at times mysterious experiences of life after Mack’s death. I’m glad you found yourself here and I hope you find some companionship and tools for your own journey.

— Elizabeth